The Hunter and The Faun
by FanOfRomance
Summary: Space-Deer! AU with Lucas from "The Hunt" And Adam from "Adam". There were no choices for these movies so I just put it under Hannibal. Lucas is a Danish man who teaches Kindergarten and hunts in his free time. One day on a hunt he finds a creature thought to only be a myth: A Faun. His world is changed forever after this meeting. For better or for worse? We will have to see.
1. Catch of the Day

So this is a crossover between Lucas from the movie "The Hunt" and Adam from the movie "Adam". Hope you enjoy this AU, please leave feedback and kudos if you like it!

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The fall air was softly blowing through the trees, rustling the yellow and orange hued leaves in a musical way. Lucas was walking through the forest quietly, a cold rifle clasped in his hands as his eyes searched through the pair of glasses resting on his nose. It was the beginning of deer season and he had been waiting for the chance to go back out and hunt. Things were quiet at home, his son was with his mother this weekend and Lucas wouldn't get to see him until the next. He wished to take him hunting but his mother looked down upon it and preferred him not to go. So, Lucas would take this hunting trip alone. Yes, there were times that he would go with his buddies, a small group of men that he knew and loved that lived in the smaller town He walked quietly, feet stepping over twigs and crunchy looking leaves to avoid making extra sounds. Though, when walking through a forest, one can expect to make a little noise no matter how lightly they trod. Lucas had _set_ some traps earlier in the week for rabbit or whatever animal was unlucky enough to step into it. Now, he planned to track a deer if he could find a trail. _Must be quiet, wouldn't want to scare away the deer_ he thought to himself, crouching down and running his fingers over some leaves that looked cracked and torn. Something had stepped on them and pressed a few into the malleable dirt, the faint outline of a hoof left around them. Since there were some leaves on top of those pressed into the dirt, it had to have been two or three days since the deer came by. Standing with a quiet huff, he began to walk in the direction the hoof prints were going. The sounds of birds filled the air, tweeting every so often to each other. The wind carried the faint smell of decaying leaves through the air and to Lucas' nose. He rather enjoyed that scent and wished that they could put it in a candle. As he continued to walk, his ears picked up the sound of something rustling the leaves on the forest floor. He crouched slightly, walking towards the sound with his rifle held at the ready. The area looked familiar and soon he realized that he had a trap set around there. _Perhaps I snared something? Rabbit? Squirrel? Maybe a deer i_ f _I am lucky_.

But as he approached the trap, he discovered that it was nothing that he could've ever imagine. Hesitantly, he approached the creature that had been snagged by the trap. At first glance, it appeared to be human, a male human. But upon closer observations, he'd see that the man's hair had a pair of antlers poking out from it! The creature froze and looked from its spot in the tree, hung upside down by its foo- hoof? The creature had a hoof! Well, hooves. Where two feet would be expected to be, there were instead hooves and his legs were like that of a deer. In fact, his entire body had a more brownish tint to it, getting lighter around his torso and darker brown on his legs and forearms. "Um… hello?" He spoke softly, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and staring as the creature began to squirm around as he hung from the tree. He could see that his face was odd too, his nose was flatter and more deer-like and his ears flopped to the side of his head. His body was covered in fur, though it was thicker around his lower half and some tufts were growing thicker around his neck. The creature was making strange sounds and kicking his free foot, trying to get out of the trap. "Hey, hey, easy." He said with a frown, trying to process what he was seeing hanging from his snare. The creature calmed just a bit, though he looked like he could start acting up any moment. Lucas walked over to where the snare was buried into the ground, holding the man-deer in the tree. He held onto it and pulled it out of the ground, grunting as he held it with one hand and tried not to let the creature fall too roughly to the ground. He could hear the thud of the creature landing and he ran to it, rifle still in hand.

The creature was on his back and making pained sounds. When Lucas approached the creature sat up and put his hand on the ground, getting in a stance to where he could run if needed. "Hey there… easy, I won't hurt you…" The creatures eyes darted to the gun and back to Lucas, eyes light blue and wary. Now that Lucas was closer, he could see that the creature had specks across his face, like freckles but more brown. Slowly, Lucas set the gun down, keeping his hands up and kneeling to appear smaller. "Can you speak?" He asked, his voice low and quiet to try and refrain from scaring the creature. It looked down at its hoof, the rope still wrapped around it, then back to Lucas. "I can take that off for you. You just have to let me get close." The creature tilted his head slightly, looking confused like he didn't understand what he was hearing. Lucas slowly inched forward, holding his hands opento show that he was no threat when the creature flinched. His hands were careful, ginger as he untied the rope and slid it from the creatures' leg. "There, now isn't that bet-"

He was cut off when the creature knocked him back and turned to run off in a different direction, much faster than a human. Lucas huffed a little in confusion and frustration, wishing that he could've learned more about the creature. He watched as the deer ran quickly away, the last thing he saw being a fluffy white tail.

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I hope you enjoyed! I am currently writing the other chapters to go with this story. So if you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know and I might incorporate them into the upcoming chapters!

Thanks~


	2. You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours

You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours

Lucas had left the forest after seeing such a strange, magnificent creature with questions swirling around in his mind. Was what he saw real? Where did the creature come from? Was it all his imagination? Or was there really a faun running around in the forests he hunted in? When he had gotten home, leaving right after seeing the faun from shock. Now, it was about a week later and he was with his son, Marcus, for the weekend. They spent some time at the park, letting his son wonder about and have fun but kept him in eye sight. When they returned from the park, they cooked dinner together while Lucas' dog Fanny whined and pawed their legs in an attempt to get food. "Fanny, go lay down girl." Lucas said sternly, chuckling when she whined and walked off, head hung low enough that her floppy ears slid across the kitchen floor.

"So, how is school going for you?" He asked the teen as he chopped up some vegetables to put into the stew they were making.  
"It's alright, It's school heh. Grades are fine, some of the teachers this year give so much homework!"  
"That is good! That means that your brain will be kept very sharp, son." Lucas said with a toothy grin, eyes crinkling in the corners some at the exasperated look he received from his boy.

After the stew was boiled and completed, they sat down to eat. Alongside their stew, they had prepared some biscuits to dip into the stout stew. Potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, corn, and chunks of seared meat were all mixed with some beef broth. "This turned out to be very good. You are going to be a fine cook, son." He said with a smile, making Marcus roll his eyes with a smile. " _Far_ , you did most of the work." He chuckled some and gave a small shrug, continuing to dip his biscuit into the stew and chomp down on it.

"Dad, I want you to take me hunting, please!" His son begged, hands clasped and a great big smile on his face. Lucas just shook his head, "You know that your mother would murder me if she knew I took you hunting."  
"Then don't tell her!" He said, rolling his eyes and dropping his arms to his sides in frustration. Lucas through back to the faun and frowned some. What if his son saw the antlers and got excited? What if he doesn't notice the man half of the faun and shoots?  
"The answer is no, Marcus. Maybe next season…I will try to talk your mother about it." He said, patting his son's shoulder and gently squeezing it. The boy sighed but agreed. They spent the last day of their weekend together around the house talking and watching television together.

"Bye _Far_! I'll see you next time!" Marcus called as his mother picked him up, waving to Lucas with a smile.  
"Good bye, Marcus, keep up the good work in school. I love you."  
"Love you too!"  
After his son and ex-wife left, he returned to his home and locked all of the doors, walking to the window and sitting down in an arm chair that was next to it with a sigh. He loved the weekends with his son but they always seemed so short. It felt unfair that his ex-wife had him for so much longer but he would see him more often when school let out. The forest was particularly dull this evening after the afternoon showers. The leaves were reflected in his glasses as he watched birds fly from tree to tree. His eyes wandered about, enjoying the scene for a while before something caught them. His eyes flashed to where the underbrush had moved around some. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? He wondered, squinting a bit as he looked around the area the brush had trembled. "Hmm…" He was about to give up when he saw a flash of light brown against the meek reds and blues of the grey day. Was that…. He stood quickly, walking to the front door and opening it. His home was in the forest a bit, resting in a cleared out area so the tree line was maybe a couple of hundred yards away from his house.

Fanny whined at the door as Lucas closed it, walking towards the woods with a curious expression. He did not want to enter the forest without a weapon though so he stopped and walked back inside to retrieve his rifle. Once done doing so, Lucas made his way to the forest and stepped into the tree line as quietly as he could. Normally, he wouldn't track a deer after sighting one in the tree line like that but this was a completely different situation. If it were the creature he had saw earlier that week, he would like to know.

After walking through the woods for a bit, doubt began to set in and Lucas walked with his rifle lowered. He was about to give up until he saw a couple of hoof prints next to a large incline that lead to the top of a big hill. "Hmm…" He knelt down and looked around for more signs, hazel eyes spotting an area of underbrush that seemed… different, standing out from the other foliage. Upon further inspection, he found that the plants had been moved there to cover a large hole that was almost man sized. Holding his breath for a moment, Lucas used the rifle to push the plants aside fully and stepped into the hole. As he continued to walk, a little bent over, he discovered that it was in fact a tunnel! A feeling of dread pooled into his stomach, making it feel heavy and uneasy. Should he go deeper into the tunnel? What if this did not lead him to the creature but instead to some bear's den? The only thing that pushed him onward was his own curiosity. A few times, he almost turned back, not seeing any light at the end of this dirt tunnel he walked through. Once, he actually turned to leave when a small bat flew past his head and smacked him across the head. Adjusting his glasses, he made himself continue on to find out where the tunnel went. "This is crazy…I should just go home…Fanny might need to be let out." He whispered to himself, about to listen to his own advice when he saw a flitter of light at the end of the tunnel. Was that the way out? He thought to himself, hurrying his pace until he saw more light coming through. There was a curve at the end where he saw the light and as he took that turn, it suddenly opened to more forest. Only there was something different about this forest, the colors were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. "Wow…" His voice was soft, not wanting to disturb the serene scene he saw in front of him. The trees were tall and even though they were autumn colors, the oranges and red and yellows were more vibrant and bright than that of the trees around his home. The small plants on the forest floor seemed full of life even though the season was slowly turning into winter. Lucas began to walk further into this bright world, leaves of all colors slowly falling to the forest floor. The way they fell to the ground was like a dance, two leaves would fall together in slow spirals. Something in the back of his mind was making him continue on, walking through the beautiful forest in search of the faun. But what if it wasn't even here? "It has to be…" He said to himself, something about the forest just felt…magical, like the faun.

Little woodland creatures seemed to dart out of his way as he walked, dormice and small squirrels would run by or away into the underbrush. As he saw them running by, he thought of the faun and suddenly a thought crossed his mind. The tunnel. Where'd it go? He turned around, looking and trying to remember which way had he come. " _Lort….Lort._ I got so distracted, I've lost my way…" He muttered to himself, gripping the rifle in his hand tighter as he continued to look about. He suddenly felt like there were eyes watching his every move, the hairs on the back of his neck raising up some. His finger was resting in the trigger well as he held it up ready to fire if he needed to. A rustling made him turn around, finding a tall faun standing a few feet away from him. He didn't look like the faun from before, no this one was larger and the antlers stuck up and out to the side of his head. The fur around his neck was thick and auburn in color like that of a red deer and his chest was broad. He seemed to be readying himself to fight, lowering his head some and showing the expanse of his antlers. Lucas held up his rifle, wanting to protect himself but something about the faun's human-like expression and body made him hesitate. "I don't want to hurt you, please. I am lost, I do not-" He was stopped short when the large buck ran at him, reacting with flight rather than fight and running to the side. With the rifle still in hand, he ran as fast as he could, ducking under limbs and swatting at spider webs. There was a bellowing sound he'd heard before when he had hunter deer and they were in rut. That buck must've had a doe nearby that he was protecting or trying to impress. As he jogged more through the woods, he felt safer until something grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him into the brush. "Ack!" He cried out, tripping over his own boots and falling onto his rear roughly. His hands held the gun up protectively, expecting an attack but instead seeing a pair of large blue eyes staring at him. The faun. "Y-You…." The curly haired faun held up a finger to his own mouth, looking over his shoulder and walking back to the path the man had been running on. Lucas frowned, lowering his rifle and watching curiously. Suddenly, the faun was back, looking slightly frantic as he knelt next to Lucas. The blond man sat up fully with the rifle next to him, hands up to show that he wasn't there as a threat. The faun seemed to notice but he began to do something strange. Lucas froze as other began to rub his neck against his own, licking his cheek and running his hands up and down Lucas' sleeves. "What are you doi-" He was silenced by a hand over his mouth, a surprisingly human hand. "Ah." The faun made a quiet sound as though to tell Lucas to silence himself. And with that, the faun went back to the trail and disappeared. Lucas decided not to move, hearing the sound of the buck approaching. And the smell. Deer always were musky during a rutting season. There were some sounds going back and forth, sounds that he recognized as the faun and buck communicating.

After a while it grew silent and he could hear the buck leaving, taking the heavy odor with him. Soon enough, the smaller faun ran back to him and sat down, huffing. He began making sounds, like he was trying to talk, and Lucas frowned with a shake of his head, "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say…" The faun frowned as well and seemed to understand that, probably from the lack of understanding between the two of them. He made a sound and took Lucas' arm, making him stand up.  
Lucas grabbed his rifle and stood with the faun curiously. The two of them walked through the forest, the smaller animals he'd saw earlier not seeming to mind him with the faun walking next to him.

The two came upon a lake eventually, a few animals gathered around it and drinking. He saw a fox, some wolves even, and on the other side of the lake were a few half-man, half-deer drinking from it. The curly-haired faun motioned to the water, kneeling and scooping some into his hands and drinking it. Lucas slowly got onto a knee, the rifle being set down beside him as he mimicked the deer. As he drank the water, which was surprisingly clean, he looked at the deer. "Okay… thank you, I was a little thirsty but… what now?"

"Now, we can talk." The faun said, clearly in his language.

"W-Wait, you could talk?" He frowned then looked to the water, his mind slowly processing what just happened.  
"I always could talk, you just…couldn't understand me. That's why I wanted you to drink from this lake. This water helps us all communicate here. If a creature has drank from this water, it can talk to any other creature who has also drank from it." The faun stated, a small smile on his face, "So now we can understand each other."

Lucas nodded slowly, his brows a little furrowed as he took all that in and processed it. "So… that explains that. Why were you rubbing all over me earlier?"

"Because, you smell." He stated plainly, "It is rutting season for the Red Deer, their sense of scent is very sensitive and you smell… so I scented you to keep him from smelling you. He didn't know what you were and wanted to protect his one in particular."

Lucas nodded, deciding that meant his Doe. "Alright… well, why did you help me? I trapped you."

"But you also set me free. You could have easily killed me or sold me." The faun stated, frowning and tilting his head some, "Remember?"

Lucas nodded and gave a small smile, "Glad I did now. That buck's antlers were massive heh." The faun nodded, looking away with a somewhat sad glance. Lucas looked at his own antlers, short and small, not very impressive like the buck's. Maybe he was just younger?

"Yes, they are impressive…" He shrugged and looked back to the man in front of him. "My name is Adamalite."

"My name is Lucas. Adama- Ah… could I call you Adam?" He asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. This was unreal!

Adam nodded, "I don't see why not. I am sure it's hard for you to process how to say my true name." His ears flickered and he looked around, "You should be more careful, the bucks are very… protective." He looked a little worried, almost paranoid. "Come, we can't stay here. You aren't safe." He said quietly, taking the man's arm and making him stand again to take him God knows where. The rifle was scooped up as the two left the lakeside and began walking through the colorful forest.


End file.
